Angry Justice
by Lovingh3art
Summary: Batman has had many odd cases, but this one takes the cake; the Red Lantern Dex-Starr wants his and Vixen's help to solve the murder of his owner, an unsolved cold case from years ago. Is it even possible for a vigilante and a totem bearer to work alongside a bloodthirsty cat?
1. Meow

CHAPTER ONE

 _MEOW_

* * *

Billions of miles above Earth, a bright light appeared amongst the stars hidden in the distance. It became bigger and more intense, slowly growing in size as it neared the planet. Once it reached the nearby satellites, it whooshed past them with incredible speed and sent them spinning in its wake. Were anyone to catch a glimpse of It, all they'd picture would be a flash of red, angry, and destructive energy hurtling towards Earth.

* * *

The first thing Mari saw when she opened her tired eyes was the cat. It was a blue cat, big enough to fit in a shoebox. It wore some sort of red clothing and had a ruby ring on its' tail. The two eyes on its face were yellow, yet teased a bloodthirsty manner.

And it was floating.

For somebody who happened to be the bearer of the Anansi totem, Mari was used to being visited by… unusual kinds of creatures. Once it had been the spirits of various pound animals desperate to say goodbye. Another time, it had been a date invite from the odd hero B'Wanna Beast (which she'd declined after about three minutes of thinking on it). Apparently, the universe didn't want to give up and had sent a cat with bloodthirsty eyes after her. So what else was new?

"Um…hi?" Mari said uncomfortably. "Good kitty?"

"Grrrrrrr," the floating cat breathed.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

The cat glared at her for a little before floating down to the bed covers and landing. "Dex-Sttarrr…"

"Your name…is Dex-Starr?" Mari asked. "Is that right?"

The cat looked at her with a grimace and purred in a way that signaled she was correct. Lightly tapping the totem around her necklace, Mari reached forward with a careful hand. Dex-Starr backed away and began to growl warningly.

"Look, I'm just trying to understand you better. I need to tap you to do that. You did come to talk, right?"

Dex-Starr's yellow eyes seemed to shrink into defeat; he purred lowly in what Mari interpreted as a sign of defeat. Still being cautious about what she was doing, the heroine stretched her hand out and lightly put a finger on the cat's head. What felt like unconscious thought went through both of their minds before Mari let go and opened her eyes. Dex-Starr opened his as well, though they looked a little bewildered at the experience.

"What…what was.." the cat breathed before realizing that Mari could hear him. "You understand Dex-Starr?"

"Yeah, no problem with that," she said. "My totem doesn't just let me mimic animal powers; it also lets me communicate with animals." Mari shifted the covers off a little as she gazed at the cat. "So, what's your deal? Why'd you seek me out, and in the morning no less?"

"Dex-Starr want…want help to find a bad man," the cat meowed. "Bad man hurt Dex-Starr's owner."

Mari looked at him perplexed. "Wait, by 'hurt,' do you mean-"

The cat nodded at her.

"Oh…I so sorry…" Mari was speechless and closed her eyes to channel the sudden grief that overtook her. A unique part of her was always feeling for when animals or people close to them died, but the deaths seemed magnified by how little average humans cared about them. It made the passing more tragic in her eyes.

"So, you need my help to find the murderer?"

"Mmmm," purred the Red Lantern cat.

"Hmmmmm…" pondered Mari. She moved the covers fully aside and began to walk to the small bathroom in her bedroom. "I'd help you, but I need to know just how you have those powers…Are you a  
Lantern of some kind?"

"Dex-Starr is Red Lantern," he purred determinately.

"Red Lantern? Huh," Mari replied. "I've worked with the Green Lanterns. So, you're like that?"

Dex-Starr looked like somebody had offered him milk and then pulled away at the last second. "Dex-Starr not like Green Lantern! Green Lantern bad; Red Lanterns bathe galaxy in anger!"

Mari poked her head out of the bathroom. "Excuse me, but did you say anger? Because that sounds like a supervillain thing to say."

Unsurprisingly, Dex-Starr floated towards her in red energy. "Anger for owner of Dex-Starr fuels power. Anger of Green Lanterns fuels power."

"Right…" said Mari skeptically. "Look, I don't fully understand how this 'anger' power works for you or not, but I don't like what you're spewing about Green Lanterns. Some of them are my friends." Her arms folded as she walked out towards him.

The Red Lantern cat growled. "Dex-Starr still want help. Anger festering…"

Mari sighed. Maybe there wasn't changing how this cat thought, but she could still help some way.

"How about this? I'll help you find the bad man, and in exchange, you don't go near any of the Green Lanterns. You hate bad guys, right? You can focus on them and leave the space cops alone."

"But corps-"

"You can at least try. Right?" Mari held out a hand to the cat. At first, he looked suspicious of it, but after a few more seconds relented and held out his own paw. The two shook quite easily.

"Dex-Starr ready. When we start?" he purred.

Mari looked abashed. "Well, excuse me, but I still need to change into my costume. You can wait a little bit, right?"

Getting nothing more than a small meow, she turned and walked into the bathroom before closing the door.

* * *

Batman's eyes scanned the Watchtower computers like a vulture. He was picking apart the newspaper articles bit by bit, trying to figure out what evidence pointed towards a group of carjackers. With nobody on the watchtower, it made his time there all the easier.

A loud noise emanated from nearby, and he turned just in time to see a blue outline appear before two people appeared. One was Vixen in her orange-yellow tank top of an outfit. The other, much to his shock, was a floating blue cat adorned in red armor and an equally red aura. It had a look of pure venom kept back by feigned kindness.

"Vixen, what's going on?" Batman asked sternly. His eyes narrowed into their familiar slits of suspicion.

Vixen motioned towards the cat in a gingerly manner. "Batman, meet Dex-Starr. He's got a case for us to solve."


	2. The Bat, the Cat, and the Queen

**First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone for supporting, following, and reviewing this story. It means a lot and I'm happy to be here, making this for you all. Secondly, I forgot to do the disclaimer last time, so here it is-**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Vixen, or Dex-Starr. They are characters created and owned by DC Comics.**

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

THE BAT, THE CAT, AND THE QUEEN

* * *

For somebody who dated a burglar obsessed with cats, Batman was finding himself put off by the one sitting right next to him on the computer monitor.

"Move," he barked. "I need to use that."

Dex-Starr lifted his head and gave him the "screw-you" look before yawning. "Dex-Starr like it here. Is comfy."

The dark knight sighed and went back to typing keywords and other linked things into the Watchtower database. Vixen hovered over him to the left, her arm resting against the nearby wall. "Any luck?"

"From what little you were able to give me, somewhat. Look here." He pointed to an image that popped up on the screen. It was of a run-down and shabby apartment building located in Fawcett City. The picture dated to around 2005, with what appeared to be wrinkles on the fringes of the image. "This looks to be the closest address I could find to what you said you saw in his mind."

"What building is this?" Vixen asked.

Batman cracked his knuckles before answering. "The Morton Ridge apartment complex. Decent apartments, decent living. Except that happened to be just a cover for drug dealing and low-level thefts from the residents, sometimes going on for months. Everything fell apart when one of the residents was found murdered in her home."

"Let me guess," Vixen said. "A woman, dark-skinned, and she lived alone?"

Batman grunted in agreement. "Gloria Flores. Forty-eight years of age. A public librarian and social worker. The crime scene experts, from what the Fawcett Police records say, believed it to be a simple robbery."

"Then why not just steal the stuff when she was asleep in bed? Why kill her, too?"

Turning, he looked at his teammate with a stone-cold glare. "In my line of work, I've learned that if anything, criminals fear loose ends. Leaving her alive would've put a target on his back. And they couldn't have that."

"Murderer!" Both looked to Dex-Starr, who was now positively pissed and standing on his claws. What looked like bubbling blood was spewing up from his mouth, and his yellow eyes had enlarged in rage. "Murderer kill her- Dex-Starr want vengeance!"

"Dex-Starr, calm down!" Vixen said. "It's just a photo. We're going to find who did this and make them pay for it!"

The Red Lantern looked at her, closed his eyes, and curled back into a ball in a huff. The dark knight didn't look at all reassured, however.

"Mari," said Batman. He motioned to the nearby corridor. "A moment."

Shrugging, Vixen looked at Dex-Starr before quickly rubbing his back. "Okay, hang on a sec, buddy. I'll be back." She walked away and turned down the corridor to meet Batman, who had purposely decided to talk somewhere they couldn't be seen. "What? What's wrong?"

"How much do you know about his group, the Red Lanterns?" Batman asked. Mari could tell he was about to use his reprimanding tone she was all-too-familiar with.

"He said that they're like the Green Lanterns, but that they use hate and anger to fuel their rings. Didn't sound like the best idea for someone fresh out of an owner."

"They don't just use anger," said Batman. "They spur it on entire civilizations; in their minds, anyone – good or bad- is a punching bag for the pain and trauma they feed on inside themselves. They're murderers."

Vixen folded her arms while churning out a skeptical expression. "And you know this how?"

"Because Hal told me," Batman replied. "I trust his word more than I trust that of a bloodthirsty cat."

"And I trust animals!" Vixen stated passionately. "In case you didn't hear me out, Batman, Dex-Starr came asking for help! Not for revenge or a spot on a murder spree, but to find out who killed his owner and get justice for her! Now, I get it, I really do. That could mean something different in his mind because of all the bottled-up anger, but we still owe it to try and help right this!" She leaned closer to his face so only the two of them could hear what she was saying. "And here's another thing, Bruce. You and I both know what it's like to lose a parent. We know how devastating and self-destructive it can be. So, we should help Dex. Plus, I made him promise to leave the Green Lanterns we knew alone if this worked out. That'd be a good thing for Hal and the others, right?"

Batman's face was almost as blank as a piece of paper. Finally, his lips curved and his eyes once again narrowed. "…Fine. But we do it our way. No killing is going to happen."

"Works for me," Vixen said. "We just need to let him know."

Both walked back to the computer console and found themselves staring at the sight of Dex-Starr, wanting to entertain himself, playing with a red construct mirroring a ball of string. He quickly turned and saw the two Leaguers looking at him, the construct dissipating at will. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, we are," grunted Batman.

Vixen looked confused. "Hang on a minute. I thought you only found out info about the apartment building."

"I did some extra digging," answered the Caped Crusader. "There was a drug dealer operating out of a lower level at the time. Carlos Dane. According to the city records, he's still in Fawcett, albeit a different apartment."

Dex-Starr purred affectionately. "Then what we wait for? Let's find him!"

* * *

The man was sprawled on his apartment floor, a mess with barely any life in him. Beer bottles and wads of ripped cash lay on the messy carpet, while the rest of the apartment was filled to the brim with haphazardly placed objects and organization. Underneath the mop of messy hair, his eyes closed and opened, still reeling from the effects of a late-night alcohol binge. He would've closed them permanently had a loud voice not startled him.

"Carlos Dane."

"Augh!" The drug dealer got up in a surprising turn of speed and swirled around to come face to face with Batman. His face full of fear, he stumbled backward and hit one of the chairs from what substituted for his table. "Holy crap!"

"I'm here for some information about a murder over ten years ago," he breathed.

Carlos was too taken aback by having a vigilante in his apartment to answer fully. "I…I don't know, man…I just…this is a lot to take in…"

"Then get used to it," said a voice from the darkness behind Batman. A dark-skinned woman in an orange-yellow outfit came out of the shadows, her hair a small bob of black braids and her face greatly irritated. It was plain that she didn't want to be here. "What do you know about the murder of Gloria Flores?"

"…Flores?" Dane replied in shock. "That…that was years ago…It's been too long…I don't remember right…"

"Dex-Starr jog your memory," came another voice from behind him. More worried by the minute, he turned to find himself staring down a floating cat with red energy encircling it. Unlike most cats he'd seen, it had a face full of sadistic anger waiting to be unleashed.

"Holy crap!" Dane collapsed onto the floor in a cold sweat. Dex-Starr took the chance to float closer to him, and in the process constructed a red dagger circled around one of his claws. "What the hell?"

"I'd answer him if I were you," Vixen replied casually. "We can only keep him docile for so long.."

"Dex-Starr hungry," said the cat as he floated closer, his jaws widening in hatred.

Given the predicament he was in, Dane realized he had no choice but to concede. "Okay, okay! Alright! Look, I don't remember who did it, I'm sorry! But…I have the gun that was used in the robbery…does that work?"

"You have the gun? You don't remember who did it?" Vixen asked. He nodded in a fearful way.

Batman's eyes scoured the apartment before coming upon a lockbox hidden underneath the exposed sink. He walked over and pried it from the spot before opening it forcefully. Rummaging through its contents, he eventually produced what he had been looking for – a black handgun with curved ridges and dust scattered all over it. He placed the open lockbox on the counter before turning and leaving.

"We've got what we came for. Let's go."

"Hey, man! How about a little respect for my stuff, huh?" Dane propositioned as the three began to walk out the now open door. Batman turned and gave him a trademark glare.

"Expect a visit from the police tomorrow for hiding a murder weapon, as well as your drugs." With that, he took his leave. Dex-Starr followed him and Vixen, but not before hissing at the drug dealer disdainfully. He floated away and closed the door, leaving the man filled up with fear.

* * *

The trio was now on a rooftop far off from where they had been. Batman had set up a mini DNA kit on a railing spot and was testing the gun to one of his wrist computers. Dex-Starr and Vixen were simply gazing at the rest of the city, slowly being entranced by the pale moon's takeover of everything.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Vixen asked him. "The moon really is an opposite of the sun, even if we don't want to admit it sometimes."

Dex-Starr purred and cocked his head at her. "Dex-Starr seen many moons, but none nice…as this one."

Vixen looked surprised at the comment. "How many moons have you been too...or planets, I should say?"

"Many…" Dex-Starr meowed, "…Dex-Starr forgets sometimes. Not important, though, when rage fuels desire."

"I'm done." The two turned to see Batman putting the gun down and gaze at his wrist computer. As they moved closer, he expanded a small hologram from it that showcased various DNA strands festering in place. The diagram finally composed into a single match, and the face of a Caucasian man with long brown hair and grizzled features appeared.

"The DNA matches that of Clay King," Batman said. "A convicted felon who escape prison during a transfer two years ago and hasn't been seen since. He worked his way up the food chain and currently has a hand in the local criminal underbelly."

"That include an address?" Vixen asked. Batman nodded.

"The gang he's been rumored to have a part in holds up several streets from here in a large warehouse. And according to some of my sources, there's supposed to be a meeting with other gangs in an hour."

Vixen smiled. "You have underworld sources?" When he didn't say anything, he shrugged. "Never mind." She looked to Dex-Starr. "What do you say, Dex-Starr? Ready to find this guy?"

The cat's face exploded with vengeful smiling. "Yes. Dex-Starr ready."

Batman felt a nervous pang in his gut and then frowned. He had a bad feeling about when this all inevitably came full circle.

* * *

 **So yeah, this story is getting close to the conclusion. Next chapter will be a big one!**


	3. Catnip Doesn't Solve Everything

**Apologies for taking a while with this. I just needed time to focus on delivering, in my mind, the best final chapter of this I could create. As fans of Batman, Vixen, and/or Dex-Starr, I hope all you readers like this. Please review and favorite this, and above all, have a good day!**

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

CATNIP DOESN'T SOLVE EVERYTHING

* * *

"Are we ready?" A henchman in dark green clothing asked.

"What, do I look twelve? 'Course we're ready!" The second goon next blurted.

"Oh, yeah?

"Enough!" The argument got drowned out by a figure in black with a gun in his hand. Walking over to them, he held up his hand and then gripped it into a tight fist. The other two immediately shut up, recognizing the signal from their boss. "What's going on here, guys?"

"Nothing, Clay," said the first henchman. "Just making sure everything's in order." His hand unconsciously gripped onto the crate he'd been looking at beforehand.

"As much as I prefer that, I need you two to focus," Clay articulated seriously, his lip curling in frustration. "This is an important deal I've got going tonight. It's my last chance to join the Calvano Crime Family, so pull your crap together and join me. Now."

"Yes, boss." The three started walking around the bend and to the other end of the warehouse, passing piles of boxes and random assortments on the by. Just as they were twenty feet to the door, a screeching sound pierced their ears and flooded the room. Clay and the various henchman cowed in pain at the sound, covering their already-deafened ears. In anguish, some of the criminals attempted to move somewhere else, only winding up bumping into boxes or spraying obscenities on the fly.

"Owww!"

"What the hell?"

"Somebody do something!" King screamed, but by the time he'd finished, the sound had disappeared as well. He held up his hands and looked around shakenly, seeing almost nothing out of the ordinary. "Okay, what in the heck just happened? Guys?" He demanded loudly.

"Boss, look!" His eyes were directed to the nearby exit, and they nearly exploded as one of his men was chucked twenty feet into a concrete block. As he slumped into unconsciousness, the gang lord backed up and gripped his gun even harder. The panicked help exclaimed "Boss, what do we do?"

Clay turned to him with a look like he'd seen a ghost. "What do you think? Go figure out who that was and shoot them!"

* * *

Batman stepped closely behind a pair of boxes, gripping twin batarangs in his fist as he glimpsed the three henchmen in front of him. From what he'd seen in his thermal vision, there were about sixteen armed men in the building, King included. That left some work for him and his compatriots to do, but it wasn't the beatings he was worried about. Rather, it was whether or not Dex-Starr could help them succeed in catching these goons instead of butchering them like an animal.

To his luck, one of the gunmen decided to take a stroll in his direction. Throwing caution to the wind, he vaulted over the boxes that substituted for his hiding space and immediately chucked his two batarangs at him. The force sent the man towards the wall and left his clinging there, while his two allies ran towards Batman with bared fists. The dark knight blocked one swipe and pushed it to the side before using his elbow to jab the solar plexus of another. A loud pop could be heard, and Batman could only watch along with the others as he fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of him. Turning his attention back to the other goon, he simply delivered a punch to his cheek, and that was the end of that.

He shuffled over to the third henchman pinned to the wall by the batarangs, leveling an emotionless look in his line of sight. "Clay King. Tell me where he is, now." He made sure to put emphasis on the last word, causing the goon to cringe in fear.

"He's in the middle of the warehouse, where all the guns are! I swear!"

WHAM! He bolted to the door, whirling it open with the same fist he'd just started relaxing from the blow. The immediate sight was of Dex-Starr floating over at least three henchmen, the likes of which were either sporting grizzly cuts on their bodies or looked severely traumatized.

"What did you do to them?" Batman asked accusingly. The cat's darkened textures didn't become disturbed by the tone.

"Made them understand…like you say."

After assessing the knocked-out men, the detective shrugged, albeit darkly. "Remember not to cross the line, Dex-Starr. Vixen may have given you the benefit of the doubt, but I haven't."

"Dex-Starr keep that in mind." The cat floated farther down the warehouse, causing Batman to give chase. They came to a halt in a room with several operating machines and discarded packages lying about. Out of nowhere, another gunman sailed through the air with a wail and crashed into a column not far from where they were. Just as he was about to deduce what happened, Vixen came strolling in. The spiritual shape of a buffalo briefly surrounded her before disappearing into thin air.

"Tough crowd, huh?" She questioned humorously, only to notice that it hadn't broken Batman's seriousness.

"Did you see King?"

Vixen shook her head. "Not yet, though I did see a good amount of his men over in the room next door. You don't think-"

"Down!" Dex-Starr roared, his Red Lantern energy expanding and covering them. The two were about to ask what was up when they saw that his timely protection had saved them from a hailstorm of surprise bullets. Looking to the culprits at the end of the room, the cat roared once more and conjured up two bat constructs that immediately flew after the gunmen, bloodlust in their screeching. The soon-to-be victims ran with fear spurting from their faces.

"Nice save, Dex-Starr," said Vixen thankfully.

Batman muttered something and got up as the red protection faded. "We should check that room before King can get away."

"Right," Vixen agreed when the three began to race towards it. When she turned the doorknob, however, it wouldn't budge. "Huh, must be locked from the inside."

"He's in there," concluded Batman.

"Murderer!" Dex-Starr exclaimed ferociously. His energy was positively crimson, so much that he hovered closer to the door. "Let Dex-Starr at him!"

"Wait," Vixen said with her hands up defensively. "I got this." She put a finger on the totem and closed her eyes, drawing in a breath. When she opened them, the shape and impression of an elephant surrounded her body. Batman and Dex-Starr drew back, watching as she faced the door and charged with anger drawn across her face. She immediately smashed through the metal, a popping sound heard as it flew off the handles. Exchanging a look, the two barreled after her into the room, only to come face-to-face with at least ten armed men. King was standing at the front of the group with a rifle in his grasp.

"Great" Clay lamented sarcastically. "I get the Bat and some other nuts on my tail!"

Vixen's arms tensed, her body positioned in a stable yet threatening position. "We're here to bring you in, King. This ends tonight."

"For what? I was just minding my own business."

"For the murder of Gloria Flores ten years ago," Batman interjected. Saying the words spread silence over everyone there, but King's face seemed to have the most shock on it.

"…Flores? What…The chick I killed for initiation? You don't have any proof!"

"You mean besides the gun we found from your flunky Dane?" Vixen pointed out. "Or, I don't know, the witness to my right?" She jabbed a hard finger at Dex-Starr.

King's eyes focused on the floating blue cat, taking in his appearance, and then enlarged as if realizing something; the all-too-familiar look of fear had seized his visage. "No…" He whispered in an astonished voice. "You can't be…." Then, as if to check something, he rolled up his right sleeve. Located near the bottom of his arm was a pair of old scars, but from the looks of it seemed a lot like old claw marks.

"You're…the same cat that slashed me. You're…"

"Her cat," Dex-Starr snapped. "You, who killed Dex-Starr's owner. You, who profit off of suffering. You, who will feel the wrath of anger!" The aura around him began to burn brighter, causing the gunmen to draw their weapons in anticipation.

"I'm not going back to jail," King cried in an attempt to look tough, even though his body language was enough to tell otherwise.

"Then I guess we've got a brawl," Vixen spoke bluntly.

"RAGE!" Dex-Starr roared as a large sea of red, murderous constructs erupted from his mouth. They swarmed all over the space and began harassing and attacking the gunmen. With the distractions up, Batman took the opportunity to punch of them in the face and trip him, then grappled another right into a solar plexus blow. Not far behind him, Vixen had acquired the speed of a cheetah and easily dodged a hailstorm of bullets from two of the goons. Hailing a smirk, she flipped over them and then provided a snap kick, sending their guns flying high.

"What, not fast enough?" She joked. The two had no time to respond before she punched both in the face, letting them fall to the ground as her eyes searched for Dex-Starr. They soon found him floating near the ceiling, snarling in a way that sent more constructs spiraling across the room. Something in his face was ticked far more off than normal. It almost seemed like he was…happy?

 _Uh oh,_ Mari mentally thought. She cupped her hands and stood up as tall as he could. "Dex-Starr! That's enough! We just want to apprehend these guys!"

Her call had unlocked from whatever sick trance he had been in, but when his eyes locked with hers, she felt a pang of regret. "Dex-Starr not stop…won't stop, until murderer gets justice! Angry justice!" With a vicious snarl echoing off of his face, he levitated down right to her spot. "Dex-Starr thought you wanted to help…no?"

"I do, but not like this."

"I wouldn't worry about the gunmen," said a voice behind the duo. Batman has taken the opportunity to knock into submission most of the others around, their weapons scattered as much as their faces were.

"Okay…so where's King?" Vixen asked as her eyes scoured the room. She would have asked again if her senses didn't hear a pair of feet running haphazardly into the rest of the warehouse. Swirling around, she pointed a finger at the hole where the door had been, sure in her deduction. "There!"

"Murderer!" Dex-Starr flew out like a rocket towards the larger warehouse room, the two heroes close behind him. In their attempt to catch up to the pissed-off cat, they saw a glimpse of a man running several rows ahead of them. Batman correctly deduced it was their man and shot a grapnel forwards, letting the force shoot him on top of a pile. He was soon joined across the row by Vixen herself, but they couldn't see either person from the vantage point.

"Aaaaggghhh!"

Vixen and Batman looked at each other worriedly. "Dex-Starr…" She trailed off.

"We need to go. Now," He barked, embarking from the pile and bolting off as fast as he could muster. Vixen brushed off her worry and soon joined him by quickly mimicking the speed of the cheetah. Her determination crashed as her speed did, however, when she came to the spot she'd followed Batman too.

King was on the floor, whelping in pain as cuts covered his body and a small spurt of blood dripped from his rib. Floating over him was Dex-Starr in a rancorous manner, and Vixen could feel the build-up anger pouring out of him, the very thing he'd been waiting years for right in his claws. Just as he was beginning to form a construct in his midst, a batarang flew past him and into the nearest crate. He swirled around to find Batman staring daggers at him.

"Enough. We've got him," Batman stated.

Contrary to what he wanted, however, Dex-Starr's already-angered face morphed into a blue mask of hatred. "No! He killed Dex-Starr's owner! The only person in the world who loved Dex-Starr, and he killed her for money! He deserves to die!"

"Not like this. He deserves a trial in court."

"No!" Batman's move to fight him was blocked when a ray of pure red blasted him backward. He fell and hit the floor with bruises apparent. Vixen, shocked beyond belief at what was happening, pressed her amulet to summon the spirit of the only animal she knew could overpower Dex-Starr's ferocity.

"Dex-Starr…" She pleaded while drawing nearer to the feline. "Don't do this."

Despite what she'd offered, her plea hasn't visibly changed anything. Dex-Starr glowered at her in the same mean-spirited way that he'd done with Batman. "Dex-Star…want justice!" In a moment of pure hatred, he flew towards her, his claws stretched out and his teeth bared. But right when he would've struck her, Vixen closed her eyes and breathed in. The spirit of a lion surrounded her, and then and there, Vixen bellowed a mighty roar that sent shockwaves through the room. King and Batman marveled in awe at the act, but it was Dex-Starr who was so taken aback – literally – that he spiraled backward, hitting a box and crashing to the floor. His red lantern energy dissipated as he looked up weakly to see Vixen towering over him.

"You don't think I get what you're going through?" She asked strongly, bending down to look him directly in the face. "When I was a girl, my father died because bad people wanted this – my totem-" she lightly tapped the animal-shaped head on her neck, "-for all the wrong reasons. I've sought my whole life to find and make the people who took him from me pay, but if I did that? I'd be no better than them. And it would stain the memory of my father by lowering myself to their level of bloodshed."

"I know it hurts to have to miss them because of a piece of garbage's actions. And King sucks, he does, but he needs to get punished and pay the price for it in a true, honest way." Vixen stood up and gave a glowering look to the semi-conscious but injured crime lord. "If you want to honor the memory of your owner, then maybe just put all your pent-up anger into doing the right thing for once." She held out a tender hand, and Dex-Starr's weary yellow eyes considered it calculative. Then, he reluctantly let out a furry blue paw claw and took it up in her hand.

The two turned and gazed at the crime boss with disdainful looks, joined by Batman after he'd handcuffed him behind his back.

"I…I can't go to jail for this!" He wailed off like a child. "I-I was just starting out…I need a second chance!"

"From what we've seen of tonight, you've blown all your chances," Batman expressed. "Expect a prison cell in the morning."

"And a cold case unloaded on your ass," Vixen added strongly.

Dex-Starr walked forwards and looked him directly in the face from a couple yards away. Turning his face to the ceiling, his face twisted into a scowl. Suddenly, a hot, fizzling beam of angry emotions poured from his mouth and up into the ceiling, blowing a hole up there in its course. As he floated higher, he hissed at King and then turned to the pair of heroes watching him observably. He meowed something as his familiar red energy overtook him, lifting him up into the sky. The farther he went, the smaller he became, eventually disappearing into the night's stars.

* * *

Police sirens blazed in front of the warehouse. Officers were busy as could be, what with more than a dozen gun runners and their wanted leader in custody. Reports were being taken into consideration while the men were packed into cruisers and vans like sardines. King himself was pushed heavily into one at the front, and the media made sure to get breathtaking accounts of his injuries on video. The entire scene was being watched rooftops away by Batman and Vixen. Neither said a word, only daring to look at what was laid out in front of them.

"I guess you proved me wrong…"

Batman turned and cocked an eyebrow underneath the cowl. "What do you mean?"

Vixen chuckled uncomfortably. "What I mean is…this whole time, you were telling me not to trust Dex-Starr because of where he came from. I thought somewhere in him, I could understand and help him through it…but that pain, that raw anger…it's never going away. Those aspects of his psyche are what fuel him to do what he does as a Red Lantern. And I don't think putting away the guy who wacked his loving original owner will change any of that."

"Not necessarily," Batman interjected. "You empathized with him, proving that he could do what was best when push came to shove. He had enough respect for you in whatever cod he had to not kill."

She gripped her arms, too entranced by the police scene to want to answer. "…He said 'thank you'".

"Is that what he mentioned when he was leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe he really meant it."

Neither said anything after that, departing for their respective homes that night.

* * *

Somewhere deep in space, Atrocitus stirred in irritation. He looked around the bowels of space for his feline pet, only finding him floating a good distance from him. When he directed himself closer, his anger was at breaking point. "Dex-Starr! Where have you been?"

The cat looked up at him, this time not with a snarl or adorable look, but rather one hinting at inner turmoil. It was such a surprise that Atrocitus forgot what he was about to rant about.

"…What happened?"

Dex-Starr looked down and purred. "Goooottt…. jussttiicee…"

Atrocitus folded his arms. "What do yo-" the question was interrupted as Dex-Star lunged forward and immediately pushed into his chest, rubbing against it passionately. Somewhat taken aback, Atrocitus sighed and rubbed the back of his cat. Sometimes he just did things for no reason.

"I'm glad that you're back," he stated, "but I also hope you're still angry."

Hidden within his master's substitute for a hug, Dex-Starr's feline features twisted into a carnal smile.

"Yesss…stiiiillll annngrrryy…."

* * *

 **And that's that! Thanks to everyone who liked this story. I'm very proud to have given, at least personally, Dex-Starr some form of semi-twisted closure. More DC stories on the way soon!**


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